I would like this guy as a colleague.
Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
171–180 of 505 posts
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#172I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…
Yeah, I hear you. I'm 49 and it took 2 years before I landed another dev job. I gave up looking after a year and trained for an HVAC career only to find out I was too old to start in that field; I suppose my previous salaries scared employers off as well.
I must have had 50 interviews in that time. Some I knew I failed and others I thought I nailed. There's a lot of luck in interviews, good and bad, but I think it usually comes down to personal biases and 'fit.' Sometimes I'm not technical enough, like when I interviewed at Facebook and Amazon. In that case Leetcoding would help, but you still have the whole 'fit' issue to deal with.
In April of 2019 I landed a dev job. I only got it because a friend referred me and the interviewer had worked at the same company as me and my friend Luck strikes again...
Good luck!
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#173I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…
I didn't become a developer until just after my 40th birthday. I'm 45 now. I'm doing just fine.
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#174Earlier quoted context omitted.
A lot of the coders over 40 that I know who are experiencing difficulty finding work are coders who spent years working at the same place and chose specialization over staying current. They chose to become the J2EE guy with 10 years experience at a fortune 500 or the off the shelf ecommerce specialist. Being overly loyal to these companies and seeking job security left them with little career security at companies wh…
Some companies are definitely friendlier to older and longer-tenured employees than others. I've been at my current employer for quite a while and even I was a bit surprised at the number of 20 year anniversaries shown at a recent meeting.
Many companies people apply to work at haven't even been around 20 years, let alone have staff with 20 years at the company.
There's a whole subset of folks looking at 'tech' as 'startup', and the goal of those companies is often to get acquired, so, the company won't necessarily be around in 8 years, let alone 20.
I've resigned myself to the notion that I'll never get a '20 year anniversary' at a company at this stage of my life. I don't mind, but it was one of those things when you're younger that does seem achievable. Most of the companies I've worked at in the past 25+ years aren't even in business any longer, except for 1, which was already 15+ years old when I started, and that was 15 years ago - had I stayed, that might have been the one chance to hit a '20 year' mark someplace (and I have one colleague who started with me and stayed there, so he might make it).
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#175Earlier quoted context omitted.
One can easily infer age based on career experience, college graduation date, etc.
Leave dates off of your education on your resume and LinkedIn. The only use of those dates is to age you. No one is going to ask about it.
I hear this from time to time. I'm not sure I buy it.
1.) Most people can do math. Unless you're also going to be evasive more or less throughout your resume about how long you were in roles and the like, people are going to figure out your rough age/general seniority pretty easily. And at some point it looks evasive. Maybe you're trying to hide some big gap that exists for some reason.
2.) But let's say you do scrub your resume and no one calls you on it. You're presumably going to have an in-person interview at some point and they'll, again, figure out your approximate age pretty quickly unless maybe you're exceptionally young looking.
3.) All this assumes that no one actually knows you when, in my personal experience, every job I've taken since grad school was through someone I knew.
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#176I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…
I got a remote coding job at an outfit advertising for "young developers". I just severely abbreviated my resume and didn't mention my age until well after I was hired. (The benefits paperwork went through a third party.) It's now years later and they still haven't seen my grey beard, which doesn't matter any more. And I really like working remotely. If I lose this job for whatever reason that's Plan A, not the backu…
Age, gender, color are all muted when working remote. Performance isn't.
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#177There is so much that is wrong with this. Follow this advise only if you are currently employed and your employment is extremely safe because your employer is deemed essential or because they are financial strong in the current economy. For everybody else very carefully consider why an employer should hire you when the current economy is failing, programmers generally are very expensive and add very little value to t…
> I have time for both jobs, coding on the side, spending time with my kids, helping my wife prepare dinner, and so forth.
Genuinely curious, how are two full white-collar jobs in parallel even physically possible? Are they remote with completely flexible hours and not full time?
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#178I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…
Can't you tweak and prune your resume to look younger? I'm 49 and still 2X ing. Had my 10x moments and think it depends more on the project, company and people for producing at that level.
What's "2xing"?
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#179Earlier quoted context omitted.
Some companies are definitely friendlier to older and longer-tenured employees than others. I've been at my current employer for quite a while and even I was a bit surprised at the number of 20 year anniversaries shown at a recent meeting.
Many companies people apply to work at haven't even been around 20 years, let alone have staff with 20 years at the company. There's a whole subset of folks looking at 'tech' as 'startup', and the goal of those companies is often to get acquired, so, the company won't necessarily be around in 8 years, let alone 20. I've resigned myself to the notion that I'll never get a '20 year anniversary' at a company at this sta…
>I've resigned myself to the notion that I'll never get a '20 year anniversary' at a company at this stage of my life.
I won't either. But I was at one company about 13 years, another about 8, and just over 10 at my current one.
Re: Rules of thumb for a 1x developer
#180I used to get called a 10x developer, I was also called a rockstar and a ninja and a 100x dev and every other compliment that was hip. Then I hit 30. That type of talk stopped. Then I hit 40. Now I will not be considered for any entry level, mid level, or senior level software dev job anywhere in the United States, despite being very desperate and willing to relocate for anything. Doesn't matter. Too old. I'm suppose…
I am almost 40, and I fully expect this to be my last software development job. Likewise, I've never had a negative performance review and am usually the top task-killer and bug-destroyer; but when recruiters call and find out I'm married with kids they can't seem to hang up fast enough. I'm saving as much as I can. The end is nigh.
I don't understand why marriage or dependants would come up. If anything these two life changes forced me to take my career and profession a lot more seriously.